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Farmer jumps into Kabini reservoir to protest Cauvery water release

Sadananda R in Chamarajanagar

A farmer jumped to his death into the Kabini reservoir on Wednesday to protest against Karnataka's decision to release Cauvery waters into Tamil Nadu.

The police rescued four farmers, who had jumped into the reservoir along with Guruswamy, a gram panchayat member from Beechanhalli [Mysore district].

According to witnesses, close to 500 farmers, among them Guruswamy, from Beechanhalli tried to barge into the dam.

The police stopped them a few kilometres from it. But when villagers tried to force their way through the police cordon, cops resorted to lathi charge, resulting in serious injuries to a woman.

Even as the police were attending to the injured woman, Guruswamy, along with four others, ran towards the dam, shouting slogans against the government, and jumped into the reservoir.

The police immediately rescued four farmers, but failed to find Guruswamy.

They are expected to resume their search for Guruswamy's body on Thursday morning.

Following this incident Kabini officials have stopped the outflow of water, as it might hamper the recovery of the body.

The government has also ordered the stoppage of water release from the K R S reservoir.

As the news spread to Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts, spontaneous protest marches were held with 300 farmers courting arrest in Mandya.

Meanwhile, traffic between Mysore and Bangalore remained closed on Wednesday due to the roadblocks set up by agitated farmers.

Cauvery Water Dispute: The Complete Coverage

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